Llama Therapy

It has long been proven that close contacts with pets are very useful in treating various diseases. Due to providing a therapeutic effect, communication with dogs, cats, horses and dolphins is used in treating a variety of disorders – from cerebral palsy and autism to serious mental disorders in adults.

Meanwhile, in the US state of Washington, spouses Niki and Jeff Kuklenski, who own a farm for the breeding of llamas, regularly take their pets to hospitals and nursing homes.

Two therapist llamas, called Marisco and N.H. are frequent guests of clinics and nursing homes.

South American llamas are close relatives of camels, but they are much cuter and more sociable than the “ships of the desert”.

When in a hospital or a nursing home for old men, llamas pass through the corridors and into the rooms, which gives everyone an opportunity to communicate with the animals even if the people stay in bed or are confined to a wheelchair.

These sessions are coordinated by the American organization of llama therapy, Pet Therapy International. Today, its list includes more than 10,000 pets that are regularly used for zootherapy. However, a total of only 14 llamas are listed among these furry physicians throughout the United States.

World's Most Beautiful Horse Breeds

World's Most Beautiful Horse Breeds

Here are the top 10 most beautiful horse breeds for horse lovers. You may not agree with every breed on the list, but chances are good you'll agree with quite a few.

Arabians Horse Breed

One of the world's oldest breeds is the Arabian. These horses have dark black skin to protect against the rays of the desert sun from their homeland on the Arabian Peninsula. Small horses, typically around 15 to 15.2 hands, they may be any solid color such as black, bay, gray or chestnut. With their large, wide-set eyes, dished faces, and flowing manes and tails, the Arabian is often considered the most beautiful horse breed in the world.



The Akhal-Teke Horse Breed

Arabians face strong competition for the title of most beautiful horse in the world from the Akhal-Teke, the national breed of Turkmenistan. These horses are usually shades of gold ranging from pure palomino to pale cremello, with the characteristic metallic sheen that makes their coats shine like newly minted coins. They are tough horses bred for endurance and stamina.


Andalusians Horse Breed

Hailing from the Iberian Peninsula, the Andalusian may also be one of the oldest breeds in the world. They're bred for boldness, courage and athleticism. Historically, the Andalusian was used for battle and bull fighting, but today they're often found in the exhibition arena or show ring as dressage mounts. They have luxurious flowing manes and tails, a Roman or convex profile, and a muscular appearance. Gray horses are the most common, followed by bay; true black Andalusian horses are rare but still found within the purebred strains.



Gypsy Vanners Horse Breed

The Gypsy Vanner descends from Gypsy horses brought to England and bred by Romanies or gypsies to pull their wagons. Because these horses had to pull significant weights, they needed to be as strong as draft horses but also perform additional duties as riding horses. They sport the abundant leg feathers, manes and tails of draft horses and beautiful tobiano or overo pinto coat colors.



Friesians Horse Breed

The Friesian horse was bred in the Netherlands as far back as the Middle Ages. It is the descendant of the so-called Great Horse that the knights rode into battle. Friesians stand about 15 hands high and have abundant leg feathers, manes and tails. The manes and tails are never trimmed and may trail on the ground. Only black Friesians may be registered in the breed's studbook, though chestnut Friesians are occasionally born. They're used for dressage, exhibition and circus work, and carriage driving.



The Marwari Horse Breed

The Marwari of India are the only breed in the world whose ears naturally turn, curve, and touch or point to one another. These small, 15-hand horses have flat, round feet, sturdy backs and delicate, intelligent faces. They're bred for courage and stamina, and may be found in all solid and pinto colors.



The Paso Fino Horse Breed

Another Spanish breed to make the top list is the Paso Fino. Berber horses with Arabian blood, brought to Spain by the Moorish invaders, were bred with native Andalusian horses to produce a unique, smooth gaited and beautiful horse. The Paso Fino has five gaits: walk, canter, and the paso fino, corto and largo, three gaits unique to the breed. The impact of the horse's footfalls is dispersed differently in the three paso gaits to the trot, with less motion conveyed to the rider. These gaits made them ideal riding mounts for cavalry and anyone riding long distance.



The Haflinger Horse Breed

Bred to work on the hilly slopes of the Tyrolean Alps, the Austrian Haflinger horse is a sturdy, small horse used for farming as well as sleigh and carriage pulling. Their beautiful flaxen manes and tails offset a burnished copper-penny chestnut coat that often develops dapples in the summertime. Their manes and forelocks are so luxurious that they often cascade in a thick waterfall over the eyes.



American Saddlebreds Horse Breed

American saddlebreds are often called the "peacocks of the show ring,” and like the peacock, they love to show off their beauty. These tall horses display a willowy, graceful head and neck carriage. They have a fiery action and movement that belies the smoothness of their gaits. Saddlebreds perform either three or five gaits; the five-gaited saddlebred includes the typical equine gaits of walk, trot and canter, but adds a slow, four-beat slow gait and the rack, a fast high-stepping movement. Any color is accepted in the breed, but bay, black, brown and chestnut are most common.



The Rocky Mountain Horse Breed

Among this list of beautiful horse breeds, the Rocky Mountain Horse of America is the newest breed on the list. The first recognized horses appeared in the early 20th century in Kentucky. The horses move with a distinct, ambling four-beat diagonal gait that clocks in anywhere from 7 to 20 miles per hour. Rocky Mountain horses are often unusual colors, such as liver chestnut, champagne and cremello, as well as bay, black, brown and chestnut. Their unique gait and unusual coloring gives them a memorable and striking appearance.

Deleting Your Facebook Account Improves Your Intellect

Reluctance to use social networks indicates intellect and strength of will, according to a group of sociologists and psychologists from Austria led by Stefan Stieger.

Stefan Stieger, Christoph Burger, Manuel Bohn and Martin Voracek conducted a survey of 310 Facebook users, which deleted their accounts, as well as 321 regular users.

Among the refusers, 71.5 % are men, aged approximately 31 (although there were people from 11 to 75). They live in 47 different countries on all five continents. The average number of “abandoned” people in their friends list is 133. Before deleting their Facebook account, these people had spent an average of 1.9 hours per day on it, and their accounts had approximately existed for 26 months.

Why Do People Delete Their Facebook Account?

    It turned out that those who left the world of social networks are more conscious in everyday life, more punctual and careful.
    Thus, the main motive for the refusal of the account was a concern for their personal data security (48%).
    The second reason is the person’s growing dependence on Facebook (6%). People felt too deeply and permanently immersed in the virtual world, and they decided to cut it short with a click.
    The third reason the respondents’ dissatisfaction with the behavior of their Facebook friends (12,6%). They did not like it when someone began to demand to add him or her to their friend list or persistently invited to an event, etc. People rightly felt that virtual and real friends are a completely different concept.
    The fourth reason to remove the page was a global disappointment in social networks as such (13.5 %).

5 Main Causes of Heart Disease

Among the diseases that lead to a person’s death, cardiovascular diseases are in the first place. Doctors are convinced that if people knew more about the nature of these diseases, the death rate from heart attacks could be reduced at least three times.

High Blood Pressure

New York cardiologists compiled a list of factors that contribute to the development of heart disease. According it, the main enemy of the heart is increased pressure (hypertension). Every second case of death from heart attack occurs because of pressure leaps. Those who suffer from high blood pressure need to check the heart at least three times a year, the cardiologists are convinced .

High Blood Cholesterol Levels

High blood cholesterol is the second reason for heart attacks. In most cases, high cholesterol goes hand in hand with the increased pressure. High cholesterol triggers the formation of plaques in blood vessels that disrupt the normal blood supply to the body and lead to heart failure. Keeping cholesterol under control is possible only by means of proper nutrition.

Age & Gender

A person’s age is another risk factor: after 65, the probability of heart disease increases dramatically. At least once a year you should undergo a medical examination. Also important is the gender. Heart disease mostly attack men than women.

Heredity & Chronic Diseases

Chronic diseases and genetic predisposition. If a person suffers from diabetes and obesity, or someone in his family had a heart attack, he or she automatically becomes a potential victim of heart attack. The attending physician must be aware of these circumstances.

Way of Life & Hygiene

Lifestyle and personal hygiene is also a risk factor for the heart, but unlike the previous reasons, they are completely controlled by a person. Careless lifestyle and neglecting personal hygiene would significantly increase the chances of a heart attack. Especially in case of inactivity, smoking, alcohol abuse, neglect of hand washing and oral health.

5 Reasons behind Sugar Cravings

Uncontrolled consumption of sweets can cause not only the appearance of extra kilos, but serious health problems as well. Doctors explain why we cannot resist the sweet temptation, even though we want to.

Lack of nutrients

If the body loses nutrients and calories it needs, it starts to urgently look for the sources of energy, and the person may feel acute cravings. So try not to have four-hour breaks or even longer intervals between meals and do not experiment with a strict diet of less than 1500 kcal per day. The brain, which works exclusively on glucose, will make it impossible to resist the temptation to eat sweets or biscuits.

Skipping lunch

Lunch is important because the body needs to get most of the daily energy till 16.00-17.00. Not having received it, the body will look for any fast way to “refuel” itself.

Imbalance in power

If the diet contains too little protein and carbohydrates, the body responds to this with hunger and the desire to quickly quench it by eating something sweet. Both protein and carbohydrates (complex ones) lead to the feeling of long-term satiety and supply the body with reasonable amount of energy.

Prohibitions

Sweet tooth people are well known for their weakness. However, too strict control of each eaten chocolate or a vow to never eat them, only reinforces the craving for sweets. Nutritionists believe that it is better to treat yourself with something tasty. In order not to overeat the sweet foods, you can eat them when the stomach is full. If the overall diet is balanced, the passion for sweets can eventually subside.

A habit

Very often, this passion for sweets is not more than a habit driven to automatism. We must look for the ways to avoid such a habit: for example, instead of the usual two spoonfuls of sugar put one spoonful in your tea or coffee. Less sweet taste will eventually become the norm for you.

Weight Loss Bacteria Found

Experiments on the human intestinal microflora transfer to the digestive tract of mice enabled scientists from the University of Washington to identify the bacteria causing weight loss. Their presence does not let the body store excess fat.

Experts grew mice under sterile conditions, so that bacteria could not reach their intestines. Then one group of rodents was “infected” with obese human’s microflora, and another – with the microflora of his twin brother with normal weight (the twins became donors of microflora because their genetic material is the same).

It was found that the mice that received obese human’s bacteria, started metabolic changes that lead to obesity. Mice that received the microflora of the person with normal weight, did not get obese.

At the second stage of the experiment, two groups of mice were placed in one cage. The rodents could “share” microflora eating each other’s feces. On the 10th day of living together, obese mice started losing weight. However, “thin” mice did not get obese.

Having analyzed the changes in the microflora composition in two groups of mice after their staying in the same cage, the researchers found out: the obese mice got the Bacteroidetes bacteria available in the intestines of normal rodents. Apparently, they allowed the mice to recover from obesity quickly.

Meanwhile, weight gain is also influenced by the daily regimen: night owls get fat faster than early risers do.

Accelerated Depreciation - Providing tax incentives

Accelerated Depreciation - Providing tax incentives
Providing tax incentives in the form of accelerated depreciation has the least of the shortcomings associated with tax holidays and all of the virtues of tax credits and investment allowances—and overcomes the latter's weakness to boot. Since merely accelerating the depreciation of an asset does not increase the depreciation of the asset beyond its original cost, little distortion in favor of short-term assets is generated. Moreover, accelerated depreciation has two additional merits. First, it is generally least costly, as the forgone revenue (relative to no acceleration) in the early years is at least partially recovered in subsequent years of the asset's life. Second, if the acceleration is made available only temporarily, it could induce a significant short-run surge in investment.

Tax Credits and Investment Allowances

Tax Credits and Investment Allowances
Compared with tax holidays, tax credits and investment allowances have a number of advantages. They are much better targeted than tax holidays for promoting particular types of investment and their revenue cost is much more transparent and easier to control. A simple and effective way of administering a tax credit system is to determine the amount of the credit to a qualified enterprise and to "deposit" this amount into a special tax account in the form of a bookkeeping entry. In all other respects the enterprise will be treated like an ordinary taxpayer, subject to all applicable tax regulations, including the obligation to file tax returns. The only difference would be that its income tax liabilities would be paid from credits "withdrawn" from its tax account. In this way information is always available on the budget revenue forgone and on the amount of tax credits still available to the enterprise. A system of investment allowances could be administered in much the same way as tax credits, achieving similar results.
There are two notable weaknesses associated with tax credits and investment allowances. First, these incentives tend to distort choice in favor of short-lived capital assets since further credit or allowance becomes available each time an asset is replaced. Second, qualified enterprises may attempt to abuse the system by selling and purchasing the same assets to claim multiple credits or allowances or by acting as a purchasing agent for enterprises not qualified to receive the incentive. Safeguards must be built into the system to minimize these dangers.

School Children Diet Tips

A school child’s diet, as nutritionists recommend, should not contain spicy or salty foods or too many sweets. In the beginning of the school year, you should study the menu offered to your child at school and always remember that not only the school staff but also parents can be involved in the nutrition of schoolchildren. In case of any claims, immediately contact the school administration and insists on resolving disputes.

A schoolchild’s menu: nutritionists’ tips

Particular care should be taken by the parents whose children suffer from diseases requiring special nutrition, such as diabetes mellitus, diseases of the digestive organs, allergies.
Problems with the gastrointestinal tract in schoolchildren

At school, children most often have dinner, and breakfast and supper – at home. According to experts, about half of the cases of gastrointestinal disease in children are associated with malnutrition at home. Make sure your child eats properly and gets all the necessary vitamins and nutrients for his/her growing body.
Do not give children sweets to school

Plan what to give the child for “breakfast” at school. These should not be cream-filled pastries, as they require certain conditions of storage. After eating a spoiled cake, the child may be taken to a hospital with severe poisoning. Besides, everyone knows that the consumption of sweets is very harmful for teeth and is one of the main causes for childhood obesity.
What should a schoolchild eat?

Below are the foods recommended by nutritionists for school and home menu:

    lean meat;
    lean fish;
    milk and milk products;
    fresh fruits and vegetables;
    cereals and products of hybrid corn and beans.

What shouldn’t you give to the child?

At the same time, the child’s diet should exclude the following products:
canned meat and fish;
pickled foods;
smoked foods;
confectionery products with a high content of hydrogenated fats or trans-fats;
flour products;
sausages;
mayonnaise;
ketchup.
Check the school food

Check the school canteen carefully: meat and fish products can be defrosted and frozen repeatedly, meals can be heated several times a day. Then, having considered the school canteen, think: maybe it is better if the child takes lunch from home?

Nutritionists believe that there are no 100% harmful foods for a child. The important thing is how much and how often your child eats: even chips are not particularly harmful, if you eat them once a week, but not every day.

5 Cancer Signs

Scientists have identified five major signs of cancer, which should be the reason for a person to ask for medical treatment.

    Having noticed sudden drastic body weight fluctuations, you need to immediately contact the experts. Weight may vary due to the violation of metabolic processes that signify the body’s attempts to fight the development of cancer.

    The second signal is anemia, constant weakness, and frequent cases of nausea. This may be due to the release of toxic tumor toxins in human blood.

    The third feature is the deterioration of the skin. The skin can fade dramatically; it begins to peel off or gets covered with spots.

    The fourth reason, which makes us see a doctor, is a constant slight rise in body temperature. It signals that the body tries to fight the heavy load on the immune system.

    The final point is the constant and regular tingling, discomfort, or pain in any area.

According to experts, having all of these signs indicates cancer or predisposition to cancer.